Computer networks are an increasingly important part of both private and business environments. Computing devices such as workstations, personal computers, server computers, storage devices, firewalls and other computing devices function as nodes of a network with at least one network element connecting the computing devices. The various nodes transmit and/or receive various kinds of information over the network. Computing devices and users are demanding higher communication speeds across networks as more and more information flows across the various networks. The introduction of new technologies will likely load down networks even more.
The state of the art in high speed data access on computer networks has in large part been driven by exponential growth in the Internet and e-commerce. Furthermore, as computers become more powerful, applications are always being developed which take advantage of any increase in computer performance. Often, these applications utilize networks, both local and global.
It is becoming increasingly important to keep pace with the increased demands for network services by the general public. This can be accomplished by removing the bottlenecks that inhibit data transfer across computer networks because the thirst for increased bandwidth is ever present. Internet users are becoming ubiquitous as home users and businesses tap into the resources of the information superhighway. Electronic mail, which is fast becoming the preferred method of communication in business as well as in the private sector, and new business models, such as the Virtual Office, rely on computer networks for their very existence. In essence, the demand for computer networking connectivity and bandwidth is large, and growing larger all the time.
In an effort to keep up with increasing network connectivity and bandwidth demands, makers of networking hardware and software, as well as the Information Services (IS) managers that operate computer networks are continually looking for ways to improve network connectivity and bandwidth, while reducing network traffic latency.
Increasingly, computer networks are being called upon to carry time-critical telecommunications and video data streams. Guaranteed bandwidth to residential communications ports that carry voice, video and data has increased from tens of kilobits/second to Megabits/second levels. Commercial communications bandwidth has increased to several Megabits/second guaranteed bandwidth per port. However, the infrastructure that enables Wide and Local Area Networks to operate is comprised of installed network gear that is running industry standard network protocols that are not well-suited for the performance demands of time-critical, latency-intolerant network traffic such as voice and video.
Thus, a need still remains for a computer system with concurrent direct memory access that can help to reduce the latency of the network. In view of the ever increasing demand for faster network response, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to save costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures, adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.